DA to directly link food growers with market vendors, buyers

IN line with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to stabilize the prices of onion in the retail markets and help farmers increase their income, the Department of Agriculture, through the Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service (AMAS), has strengthened its direct market linkage initiatives.

Under this strategy, DA under the AMAS and its regional counterparts — the AMAD — will directly link food growers with market vendors and institutional buyers.

In Nueva Ecija, the DA-AMAS and DA Regional Field Office III-Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division, provided logistical assistance to Valiant Primary Multi-Purpose Cooperative (VPMPC) and the Bagong Pag-asa Multi-purpose Cooperative, both based in Bongabon, which is an onion-producing municipality.

The support included the use of KADIWA delivery trucks to ease up the farmers’ perennial problems on logistics and transportation.

From February 22-24, a total of 4,260 kilograms (kg) of red onion and 610 kg of white onion were delivered to the L. Sanchez Farm, Batangas City Rural Improvement Club Marketing Cooperative, Ridad Integrated Farm, Agripreneur Farmers and Producers Association, as well as to market vendors of Guadalupe Market and Las Pinas City Public Market.

The market linkage activity as well as transport and logistics support form part of the interventions of the national government to local onion farmers, ensuring affordable food products in the market.